David Monaco Turned An Unfortunate Injury Into A Positive Mindset That Drives Him

I have not been afraid to fail, but rather, invite failure into my life — as a means to grow and improve.

David Monaco

Basketball Scout

OnPoint Basketball

You hold a lot of positions currently — a Scout at OnPoint Basketball, an Assistant Coach at Uchenna Academy, and a Basketball Skills Trainer at Four Point Basketball. With all of these on your plate, how does a typical day look to you and how do you manage all these different roles?

My typical workday varies a great deal from day to day and changes with the seasons. During the school year, I start every day by going to the gym first thing in the morning. By exercising, I am able to relieve stress and start my day with energy. Sometimes my work schedule gets overwhelming, the gym helps me stay balanced and improves my overall confidence.

The next few hours would consist of answering emails or texts, watching game film, working on scouting assignments, and preparing my practice plan for the afternoon.

I take the subway to the school, deliver my plan for my portion of practice, and assist the head coach with instruction for the rest of practice.

Once practice is over and I take the subway back home, I take my dog for a long walk to clear my head before my evening endeavours. My evenings are used to meet with clients and train them so they can improve their basketball skills. Once my schedule is clear, I like to end my night with half an hour of television before calling it a night and restarting the next day.

Managing all of these jobs can be very difficult and overwhelming. There are some days when I feel exhausted and there are days when I feel like quitting.

My perspective has changed a great deal over the last few years, and now, as long as I know that I got at least 1 percent better than I was yesterday, then I can rest feeling accomplished. Small victories need to be celebrated too.

You’re doing both coaching and scouting currently. What similarities do you see between the two as you juggle those roles in your career?

Coaching the game with Head Coach, Keir Bryan has opened my eyes to many different facets of the game that are developed behind the scenes.

By incorporating new sequences in the team’s offense and defense, I am better able to identify the small, intricate details that separate good players from great ones.

When I scout, I watch game film and identify which players are the most talented and why. By watching the top players and recognizing what constitutes being a strong player, I am able to effectively implement drills that into my practice to improve my players and mould them into better basketball players.

Being a coach has helped me become a better scout and being a scout has helped me become a better coach.

You mentioned that your time at Global Sports Analytics (GSA) “served as one of the best learning experiences” of your career so far. What did you learn from your stay there and how will that continue benefitting you for the rest of your career?

Global Sports Analytics (GSA) was my first real introduction into the scouting world.

As an amateur scout I was introduced into the video scouting world and this role helped me develop an understanding of the process when scouting a team or a player.

I soaked in a plethora of knowledge, learned from my mistakes, and ultimately, this propelled my career forward as a result. GSA was a major catalyst of my growth as a scout.

I read that you suffered an injury that ultimately derailed your budding basketball career. What did that injury teach you? How did you move forward from that obstacle in your life and how did that motivate you to continue pursuing your passion in sports?

My injury shifted my perspective in life. Before I broke my ankle, I was a firm believer that I was destined to be a basketball player and would accept nothing less.

After this devastating injury, I was forced to accept that being a professional athlete was just not in the cards for me.

Although this was a very difficult time in my life, I am grateful that I was given a situation with adversity. This injury transformed me into a more resilient individual.

I developed mental fortitude and approached every situation with the attitude of “Everything happens for a reason.” As a result, I have not been afraid to fail, but rather, invite failure into my life — as a means to grow and improve.

What do you eventually aim to become in the sports industry?

My end goal is to become a decision maker in an NBA front office, ideally a General Manager.

This goal may seem far-fetched to most, but I don’t think that it is out of reach.

With hard work, proper guidance, determination, and a positive mind set, I believe that I can attain this goal.

If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

I would have dinner with my idol growing up, Kobe Bryant. When I was younger, I thought that Kobe was a superhero, he seemed invincible.

Everything that Kobe did, I wanted to do. His passion, intensity, and killer instinct are all things that I incorporated into my life because of him.

Having dinner with Kobe would allow me to ask him more intimate questions and have deeper talks about life.

I believe that I would become even more determined and prepared to succeed in life after a dinner with Kobe Bryant.